Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Maj. Gen. Timothy E. Gowen, the adjutant general of the Maryland National Guard, are calling on Congress to make sure the Maryland National Guard gets paid for its help with security after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. In a new letter to Sen. Ben Cardin, Gowen called for an appropriations bill to be passed so the Maryland National Guard can receive payment by Aug. 1. Gowen said the money is needed by that date because the National Guard cannot have a negative budget. Payments received after that date would need to be returned as “unused.” The National Guard deployed 25,000 troops on Jan. 7 and aided in security for more than four months. Maryland deployed 800 for about one month. Gowen said the National Guard has not been reimbursed for any of the unplanned expenses, and as a result, had to make cuts to the budget for training, maintenance and full-time salaries. “Without an immediate plus-up we will have to cancel most of our drill and annual training periods for the rest of the fiscal year. In addition, we will be forced to ease most equipment and system maintenance right as we head into the height of hurricane season,” Gowen said. His letter goes on to say:
“Most importantly, the funding limitations will mean we cannot meet our payroll requirements for our military and civilian technician workforce. These are the same full-time personnel that enabled a rapid and consistent response in the first days of the pandemic and sustained operations as we assisted with vaccine distribution. Long term, I feel that this stoppage in pay for the soldiers and airmen who have sacrificed so much over the past few years will have a dramatic effect on retention — drastically affecting our ability to provide the same rapid and effective large scale support in the future.”
Hogan, in a tweet, called on Congress to “take urgent action to prevent major disruptions.”
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